Some reader comments on the City's free WiFi on commuter buses test:
Indeed. The Hyatt had me so desperate for access that I was looking around for Ethernet wall jacks. And when I couldn't find one, I started looking for a telephone hook-up before I remembered that laptops stopped being built with dial-up Modems when Everybody Loves Raymond was the most popular show on TV.
Shame on the Hyatt. This is an injustice that must be cured. How can they have one of the tallest skyscrapers in the SCV and sit so prominently at the core of our downtown business district yet have no free (or hell, even pay-for) WiFi?
Another reader on a more serious note:
As for riders spying on other riders? I wouldn't worry too much, though I know a lot of IT Professionals like me happen to be transit commuters too. If you use any of the major email services or even facebook, all your traffic is secured via SSL, just like when you go shopping at Amazon.com. If someone wants to spy on me while I watch Not A Ferry Fan's latest lame YouTube video, well, all I can say is they'll realize quickly they're wasting their time.
I haven't tested VPN but I'm certain any modern SSL VPN client would work. Older ones, perhaps not.
As for the city: I'll check into that. I'm 100% certain the city won't "sell your private information" because that would be illegal. But they could very well monitor anonymous usage statistics. Or perhaps they won't monitor anything at all; better to be liable for none of your passenger's activities than some of it.
Another reader notes:
Besides, I believe internet access should be considered a utility at this point, not a luxury item.
I hope the City sticks with it and deploys WiFi on more buses.
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WiFi on Buses, ctd
Not to beat a dead horse, but there is free WiFi on city buses now, and yet inexplicably, the Hyatt Valencia, that bills itself as the "Santa Clarita Conference Center" doesn't? What the what?! Yay to the city of SClarita, boo to the Hyatt.
Shame on the Hyatt. This is an injustice that must be cured. How can they have one of the tallest skyscrapers in the SCV and sit so prominently at the core of our downtown business district yet have no free (or hell, even pay-for) WiFi?
Another reader on a more serious note:
Hmmm... free wifi, but no security? I wonder if they pay for the service by selling your private information they can collect as you use their unsecured service? Or a nefarious bus rider might collect it, too.I'm glad you brought this up. Yes, there is no security on the WiFi network; that is to say the wireless network itself is not secured by WEP or WPA or any of the other security protocols. It's wide-open for access. That said, SCT doesn't really have to worry about unauthorized use because, well, it's a bus, and it moves around all day.
Can you use a VPN through their service?
As for riders spying on other riders? I wouldn't worry too much, though I know a lot of IT Professionals like me happen to be transit commuters too. If you use any of the major email services or even facebook, all your traffic is secured via SSL, just like when you go shopping at Amazon.com. If someone wants to spy on me while I watch Not A Ferry Fan's latest lame YouTube video, well, all I can say is they'll realize quickly they're wasting their time.
I haven't tested VPN but I'm certain any modern SSL VPN client would work. Older ones, perhaps not.
As for the city: I'll check into that. I'm 100% certain the city won't "sell your private information" because that would be illegal. But they could very well monitor anonymous usage statistics. Or perhaps they won't monitor anything at all; better to be liable for none of your passenger's activities than some of it.
Another reader notes:
I wonder if AT&T or Verizon will notice. The one thing big telcos hate more than badwidth hogs is municipal internet providers. If you think about it from their perspective, there are now 40 bus riders who no longer need to buy a 3g/4g WiFi hotspot.Well, the bus is using either AT&T or Verizon's 4G network, so they're still getting some business. It's not like the City's building its own cellular network. They're just redistributing internet bandwidth wealth to the rest of us for free.
Besides, I believe internet access should be considered a utility at this point, not a luxury item.
I hope the City sticks with it and deploys WiFi on more buses.
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